PRESERVATION; For Sale: Fit for an Army And Long as a City Block

By JOHN HOLL

Published: January 21, 2007

IT is a city block long, with 54,000 square feet of space. It is built like, and looks like, a fortress; it can -- and did -- sleep 300; and it contains an apartment fit for a commodore. Its large common area has hardwood floors but is perfect for parking tanks, storing ammunition and conducting military drills. For a starting bid of $800,000, the old armory here is available.

Built in 1894, the New Jersey National Guard Armory, former home to the state's Second Regiment, was abandoned by the military more than 40 years ago. It is now for sale by the City of Paterson, which is looking for a buyer who will preserve the historic building, with its intricate masonry and rich history.

''It's tough, because what can you really do with an armory?'' Mayor Jos?orres said.

The city's deadline for bids ended Jan. 11, and the mayor says a commission is assessing the four offers that were submitted. He said he had originally hoped the Paterson School District would buy the property and turn it into a much-needed recreation area.

But the district, plagued with financial concerns and bound by oversight from the state, said it could not take on the building.

So Mr. Torres, intent on keeping the building intact rather than being demolished and sold for scrap (''People like to build mansions with these old bricks,'' he said) is hopeful that one of the bids will suit everyone's needs. The city did not identify the bidders, but Mr. Torres said one was interested in using the armory for sporting events and other activities and another wanted it as a site for a business.

A recent tour of the building showed that it is in need of significant repair. There is a thin layer of feathers and pigeon waste in the great hall, from birds that roost on the giant steel beams and the sills of boarded windows. There is a potential asbestos problem and no sprinkler system. The electrical system is shot, and the floors on the second level crack and buckle underfoot.

The city took over the property several years ago after the armory's owner, a private citizen who used it to store military memorabilia, had failed to pay property taxes for several years.

Mr. Torres said the sale of the armory, along with nine other vacant lots or abandoned buildings throughout the city, would add about $8 million to the city coffers. He said he hoped to have a decision on the building's fate by the end of this month.

There once were more than 100 National Guard facilities around the state, but only 34 remain. While some of the decommissioned armories have been demolished, others have become space for movie sets and storage, turned into community centers, or, like the former armory in East Orange, converted into mosques.

Joe Bilby, assistant curator of the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey in Sea Girt, said the Paterson armory was among the oldest in the state, with most having been built between 1890 and 1920.

''Before that, the buildings weren't made to last and often the ammunition was stored in city halls,'' he said. ''These buildings can last.''

Soldiers based at the Paterson Armory saw combat during the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, Mr. Bilby said. He said a unit descended from the old Second Infantry had been there as late as 1956.

Mayor Torres, a lifelong Paterson resident, said he remembered attending the circus, concerts and boxing matches at the armory in his youth. He said he hoped that the building -- with its castlelike entrance, wide staircases, steel arches and expert masonry -- could regain some of its former glory and help the city with redevelopment.

''It's a place that offered a real sense of community and has substantial value,'' the mayor said. ''It'd be nice to have that again.''

Photo: UP FOR GRABS -- Paterson, N.J., is considering four bids for its armory. (Photo by Dith Pran/The New York Times)